Process of loading battery boxes



l June 927 H. TREFZGER PROCESS OF LOADING BATTERY BOXES 'jr- E;

v s w n e b R M o NP T w T m A Patented June 7, 19 27.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EEBBEBT TBEFZGEB, OF MELBOSE PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE BICHABDSON COMPANY, OF LOCKLAND, OEIO, A COBPORATION OI' OHIO.

PBOCESS OI' LOADING BATTEBY BOXES.

Application flled Jly 18, 1925. Serial No. 43,086.

My invention relates to' processes of loading battery' boxes for shpment and particularly to processes of loading battery boxes in bulk in freight cars.

It is the object of my improved process to load battery boxes in freight cars in such manner that the percentage of breakage will be reduced to a minimum and that the structure of boxes will be so strengthened' that it .will be possible to increase the number of boxes which can be loaded in a car thereby allowing a considerable saving in freight.

Specifically it is my object to load battery boxes in cars in alternately raised and normally disposed tierswith horizontal rows nested and so braced against each other as to provide a 'balanced thrust which will avoid undue strain on any particular row gr tier or at any particular position on each The usefulness of my process of loading is well evidenced by the fact that the ercentage of breakage in cars loaded with attery boxes in bulk has been reduced from two to three per cent to a slight fraction of one per cent with the consequent probabilit that a decreased freight rate will be a lowed due to the improved strength of the disposal of the load within the car when the car is loaded in accordance with the preferred arrangement hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings in which I have shown diagrammatically the principle by which I accomplish my improved loading process Figure 1 is a perspective View of the particular type of battery box which 'I have been most successful in loading.

` Figure 2 is an end sectional view within the car.

Figure 3 isa detail end section showing my preferred arrangement of nesting with a suitable spacing between inverted handles of one row and the compartment and side walls of the next adjacent underneath row.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section taken from within a car.

Generally indicated at 1 is a battery box with which size and shape I have had the most satisfactory results. The box has handles 2 on eacl of the end sides of the box, and compartment walls 3 which in this type of box divides the inner part of the box into, three compartments or cells.

\ of the car.

illustrate In former (practice the boxes were placed n tiers an valternate rows of two nested boxes extending lengthwise across the width From a brief consideration of this plan of loading it will be realized that each'tier and each series of alternately in Verted and normal rows Were independent of any renforcement except a horizontal side and end bracing, and the result was that all the strain ofthe load .exerted-a thrust on the series of rows on the floor of the car which resulted in frequent breakage.

In my novel 'process the first row in the car is placed len thways across the width of the car as inicated by the diagrammatic representation of the boxes at 4, 4, in Figures 2 and 3. The next row of boxes is `placed in inverted position on top of the first row as indicated at 5, 5, with the handles of the inverted boxes inter-spaced from the side and compartment walls of the boxes in the first row. In Figure 3 the spacing of the two sets of handles of inverted boxes from the end walls of the upright boxes in which the handles extend is indicated at A and the spacing from the compartment walls of the upright boxes as indicated .at B. The tier of boxes may be madeup of as many layers' or rows of boxes as practical depending on the dimensions of the type of box being loaded. As indicated in Figure 2 each tier within the car is made up of a plurality of alternately upright, and in- Verted boxes extending with their length across the width of the car.

The aproximate dimensions of the boxes may be considered seven inches wide, seven and three quarters inches deep and nine inches long with the space between the end walls and the compartment' walls approximately two and a quarter inches. The thickness of the handles is approximately one half inch so that correctly interspaced the handles of boxes in inverted rows, will be in the center between the end and compartment walls of the boxes with which they are nested, so that the distance represented by the dimensions A and B in Figure 3 should be about five eighths of an inch. This gives ample clearance so that with side strains the boxes will not have any tendency to break ofi at the handle portions v To avoid the tendency for longitudinal Stress in the car causing a great strain on 'the top portions of the boxes, I have provided that alternating tiers are elevated .ti-om the floor of the car as indicated in Figure i. This is of particular importance as there is a tcndeney for the boxes to have a slightly tapered shape which it will be readily seen would cause great strain if all tlre-tops cane in horizontal rows. By alternating the horizontal line ot the tops of each row ot' boxes in each alternating tier ll thus balance the longitudinal thrust within the car so that there is no more erushing tcidency at one position on the boxes than at another.

In order to retain the rows and tiers l have invented a plan of disposing, preferably wooden, braces to hold the boxes in position in accordance with my loading arrangement. To provide for the elevating of alternate tiers I arrange to dispose blocks of wood (shown in section at C in Figure'), at intervals across the car corresponding to the approximate center of each alternate tier and I secure boards D to the blocks so that the support for the boxes is yielding. his prevents any tendenoy to crush due to sudden jolts of the car. In actual practice with boxes of dimensions similar to the type illustrated I have found that a total elevation of the block and the board should bring the alternate rows about three and one half inches higher than the corresponding non-elevated rows, which distance seems to fair-ly well distribute the strain due to longitudinal thrust within the car.

In order to support the boxes in each alternate 'row I have found that if the first row is placed in the car with the ends of the boxes abutting a side wall and the next twr' rows above Secured in position with blocks as indicated at E in Figure 2 with boards F so that the boxes in the alternate row will be about three and a half inehes to one side, this distance provides sufiicient ofi'set to interspace the handles between the ends and compartment walls of the nested boxes.

It seldom happens that the first row of boxes extends clear across the car so that filler blocks or boards G are usually necessary and may be suitably Secured as indicated in Figure 2; the blocks H extend from the filler pieces and support the boards J which extend longitudinally in the car` which boards support the alternate pairs of rows conprising one row inverted and one row right side up on top of the inverted row. The blocks E and boards F yieldingly support alternate adjacent rows on the opposite side of the car. Thus, with my preferred arrangement of loading, norow is braced in positive alignment wth any other row and each row is supported in the car with at' least one dimension facing a side board yieldingly retained on blocks. It is further of advantage to stagger the position of the rows of biocks on one side as cornpared with the rows of bloeks on the otheru This arran ement of battery boxes in a car is adapta ble for packing boxes in any kind of rectangular outer casing, without departing from the principle of my invention. Other sizes and shapes of boxes may also be paeked in a similar alternately staggered and nested manner.

'lt will be readily understood that in loading a car in accordance with my invention the nesting and staggering horizontally in eombination with a vertical staggering ot' alternate tiers trans form the entire load into a single unit. Hitherto boxes were placed in rows and tiers all upon the same level. Thus the load could easily be broken up into separate units, or divisons, by planes passing along' thejunctions of the boxes either in horizontal or vertical rows. When'the car swayed in either direction these several unts shifted and moved one over the other with the very obvious eeet of tending to destroy the boxes both by the natural abrasion of such movements and also by the fact that when an entire section of the load of one tier shifted on another considerable momentum was gained by the mass movement and whenever a single handle was opposed to this moinentum the handle was invariably cracked off or crushed.

Althou h the shape of a battery box is unusual fexpect to claim broadly the unit load principle which is clearly disclosed in the foreg'oing Specifioation.

Having thus described my nvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. That process of packing open topped boxes with handles projecting upward from the bodies of the boxes, in a traction' vehicle of rectangular cross section which consists in disposing the boxes in a plurality of rows comprising a bottom layer of boxes in upright position, with a plurality of layers of boxes above the bottom layer, each in inverted position with relation to the next suoceeding layer beneath it, and the handles of boxes in successive layers projecting into oppositely disposed boxes in adjacent layers, and each succeeding row disposed in horizontally staggered relation to adjacent rows, with the layers in the rows and the rows in the reetangular traoton vehiele braced to form a unit load with the longitudinal layers in the rows in interlocked groups, and with the lines of the sides, tops or bottoms of boxes in adjacent rows in algnment.

2. That process of packng battery boxes' for shipment in a car which consists in disposing the boxes lengthwise in a 'plurality of tiers across the car, arranging a plurality of rows of boxes one' above 'the other" in each tier, with the boxes in' each row invert ed with relation to the boxes in the row under it, and with the handles of boxes in each row extending within boxes in adjacent rows, and disposing alternate tiers in raised position and provding bracing from the walls of the car to retain the rows and tiers in said disposed and arranged position.

3. That process of packing battery boxes for shipment in a car which consists in disposing the boxes lengthwise in a plurality of tiers across the car, arranging a plurality of rows of boxes one above the other in each tier, with the boxes in each row inverted with relation to the boxes in the row under it, andswith the handles of boxes in each row extending within boxes in adjacent rows and disposing alternate tiers in raised position and providing bracing from the walls of the car to retan the rows and tiers in said disposed and arranged position, said bracing comprising blocks extended from walls of the car with strips supported by ihe blocks hearing against the walls of the oxes.

4. That process of packing battery boxes for shipment in a car which consists in disposing the boxes in tiers of rows, the rows comprising a plurality of nested boxes with i handles of the boxes extending within openvertically staggering the alternate tiers andngs in boxes facing them in adjacent rows,

supporting the tiers with strips extending from the floor of the car across the car r under every alternately staggered tier and bracing the rows from the sides in said staggered position.

5. That process of packing battery boxes for shipment in a car which consists in disposing the boxes in tiers of rows, the rows comprising a plurality of nested boxes with handles of the boxes extending within openings in boxes facing them in adjacent rows, vertically staggering the alternate tiers and supporting the tiers with strips extending from the floor of the car across the car under every alternately staggered tier and bracing the rows from the sides in said staggered position, said strips comprising blocks extending from the floor of the car with wooden strips to support the vertically staggered tiers.

6. That process of packing battery boxes for shipment in a car which consists in disposing the boxes in nested rows with the handles extended within boxes in adjacent rows interspaced from the end and compartment walls thereof, and strips to support the rows in such position,

7 That process of packing battery boxes for shipment in a car which consists in disposing the boxes in nested rows with the andles extended within boxes in adjacent rows interspaced from the end and Compartment walls thereof, and providing ielding means to support the rows in suc position, elevating alternate rows in the car and providing yielding means for supporting the alternately elevated rows.

8. That process of packing battery boxes for shipment in a car which consists in disposing strips to hold rows of nested boxes in tiers of rows of alternately inverted and upright rows of boxes, with the handles of the boxes in the rows extended within boxes in adjacent rows and interspaced from end and compartment walls of the boxes in said adjacent rows.

9. That process of packing battery boxes for shipment in a car which consists in disposing strips to hold rows of nested boxes in tiers of rows of alternately inverted and upright rows of boxes, with the handles of the boxes in the rows extended, within boxes in adjacent rows and inters aced from end and compartment walls of t e boxes in said. adjacentrows, and providing blocks to support the strips to permit them to bear yieldingly against the rows of boxes.

HERBERT TREFZGER. 

